Brandon Meriweather: 'Everybody's Got A Fall Guy' In NFL
BOSTON (CBS) -- Based on the questionable advice Cris Carter has previously given NFL rookies, the Hall-of-Fame receiver probably would have told Michael Floyd he should have had a "fall guy."
In the wake of a disturbing police video showing a heavily intoxicated Floyd during his DUI arrest, 98.5 the Sports Hub's Toucher & Rich asked Brandon Meriweather in his final weekly interview of the year if he had ever been told to get a "fall guy" for his own protection against the law.
"Not necessarily in those words, but everybody's got a fall guy," said Meriweather. "If you do anything, you've got to have a guy there that's going to take the charge off you.
"That's a rule as you're growing up [in a tough neighborhood]. If you're with somebody that's got a lot to lose and you've got nothing, you take [the fall for] everything."
Meriweather added that "fall guys" are often treated like "family" if they end up needing to serve time in order to protect their friends. The former Patriots safety admitted that he didn't really need one, anyway, because his real problems happened during games.
"I didn't really get in trouble off the field," said Meriweather. "All my trouble was on the field."
Despite a reputation for dirty hits in his NFL career, Meriweather is also known for his role in one of the most infamous brawls in college football history when the University of Miami and Florida International University got into a huge melee. Meriweather (No. 19) can be clearly seen in video of the brawl stomping on an opposing player.
Meriweather said the referee played a role in eventually setting Miami off.
"[The referee] looked me in my face and said, 'Stop bitching, do something,'" said Meriweather. "I said, 'Alright.'"
In light of the Floyd incident, T&R also asked Meriweather about the NFL's own transportation service that is available to players who are in situations where they shouldn't be driving themselves. He said that players mostly don't use it because they want to keep their private lives private.
"It's not used very often because you don't want the NFL knowing what you're doing," said Meriweather, who added that he often used his own personal transportation service instead. "Who really wants their boss to know whatever they're doing? Not many people."
They also asked Meriweather five questions about paying teammates' bills as a rookie, pre-game speeches, and his thoughts on Aqib Talib's shouting match with his Broncos teammate. Listen to the full interview below:
